Clark attendedDowling Catholic High School in her hometown ofWest Des Moines, Iowa, where she was named aMcDonald's All-American[1] and rated the fourth-best player in her class byESPN.[2] In herfreshman season with Iowa, she led the NCAA Division I in scoring and earnedAll-American honors. As asophomore, Clark was a unanimous first-team All-American[3] and became the first women's player to lead Division I inpoints andassists in a single season. In herjunior season, she was the national player of the year and led Iowa to its firstnational championship game, again leading Division I in assists and setting Big Ten single-season marks in points and assists. As asenior, she repeated as national player of the year and helped Iowa return to thenational title game. She also set the Division I women's career and single-season record in points andthree-pointers, broke the conference record in assists, and led the nation in points and assists.
Caitlin Elizabeth Clark was born on January 22, 2002, inDes Moines, Iowa,[4][5] to Brent Clark, a vice president at a product company, and Anne Clark (née Nizzi). Anne's father was the football coach and a school administrator atDowling Catholic High School inWest Des Moines. Caitlin grew up in the city.[6][7][8] She began playing basketball at age five and competed in boys'recreational leagues, because her father could not find a girls' league for her age group.[6][9]
Clark also played softball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, and golf as a child before focusing on basketball.[7][10] At age 13, she began playing several years ahead of her age group in girls' leagues.[11] Insixth grade, she joined All Iowa Attack, anAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball program based inAmes, Iowa, and played for teams in the program until graduating from high school.[7][12] She was coached by Dickson Jensen with Attack, and her AAU teammates included futureWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) playerAshley Joens.[13][14][15] Clark drew inspiration fromMaya Moore of theMinnesota Lynx, the closest WNBA team to her hometown, and often attended their games with her father.[16] She admired All Iowa Attack alumnusHarrison Barnes and became a fan of theNorth Carolina Tar Heels after Barnes joined the program.[12]
High school career
Clark played four years ofvarsity basketball for Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines under head coach Kristin Meyer.[17] As afreshman, she averaged 15.3points, 4.7 assists and 2.3steals per game.[18] She earned Class 5A All-State third-team accolades from the Iowa Newspaper Association and All-Iowa honorable mention fromThe Des Moines Register.[n 1][20][21] Clark led her team to a 19–5 record and the Class 5A state tournament, where they lost to eventual championsValley High School in the first round.[22] In hersophomore season, she averaged 27.1 points, 6.5rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals per game, ranking second in the state in scoring.[6][23] Clark was named first-team Class 5A All-State by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association (IPSWA) andCentral Iowa Metro League Player of the Year byThe Des Moines Register.[24] She helped Dowling reach the Class 5A state quarterfinals and achieve a 20–4 record.[25] After being the penultimate cut from the 12-player Team USA roster for theUnder-17 FIBA World Cup in the summer of 2018, Clark used this as motivation and began developing her pull-up jump shot as well as her deep step-back.[26] That same summer, she led the All Iowa Attack to win theNike Elite Youth Basketball League championship, scoring 23 points in a 64–61 victory over the Cal Storm in the final.[27]
On February 4, 2019, during herjunior season, Clark scored 60 points in a 90–78 win againstMason City High School. Her 60-point game was the second-highest single-game point total in Iowa five-on-five girls' basketball history, surpassed only by Abby Roe in 1996. She also set the state single-game record with 13three-pointers.[28] On February 25, Clark set the Class 5A state tournament single-game scoring record with 42 points in a 75–70 triple-overtime win overWaukee High School in the quarterfinals.[29] She helped Dowling reach the semifinals of the tournament and finish with a 17–8 record.[30] As a junior, Clark led the state in scoring and averaged 32.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.[31][32] She was named IowaGatorade Player of the Yearand repeated as a Class 5A All-State first-team selection by the IPSWA.[32][33] As asenior, Clark averaged 33.4 points, eight rebounds, four assists and 2.7 steals per game,[34] leading the state in scoring for a second time. Her team finished with a 19–4 record and reached the Class 5A regional final, where they were upset bySioux City East High School. Clark finished her career with the fourth-most points (2,547) and the sixth-most three-pointers (283) in Iowa five-on-five history.[35] She was awarded Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year,[34]Des Moines Register All-Iowa Athlete of the Year,[36] andIowa Miss Basketball, while making the IPSWA Class 5A All-State first-team.[37] Clark was selected to compete in theMcDonald's All-American Game and theJordan Brand Classic, two prestigious high school all-star games,[38][39] but both games were canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[40]
In her first two years at Dowling, Clark was a starter on the school's varsity soccer team but focused on basketball for her final two years.[36] In her freshman season, she scored 23 goals and was named to the Class 3A All-Iowa team byThe Des Moines Register.[18][41]
Recruiting
Clark was recruited byNCAA Division I basketball programs before starting high school, receiving her first letter of interest fromMissouri State before seventh grade.[12][42] At the end of her high school career, she was considered a five-starrecruit and the fourth-best player in her class byESPN.[43] On November 12, 2019, Clark announced that she would commit to playcollege basketball forIowa over offers fromIowa State andNotre Dame.[44] Clark was drawn to the team's up-tempo style of offense and head coachLisa Bluder's development of point guards. She also expected to immediately have a key role on the team with the departure ofKathleen Doyle, the reigningBig Ten Player of the Year.[45]
College career
2020–21: Freshman season
Clark entered her freshman season as Iowa's startingpoint guard.[46] She assumed a leading role alongside startingcenterMonika Czinano; the duo was nicknamed "The Law Firm" by analystChristy Winters-Scott.[47][48] On November 25, 2020, she made her collegiate debut, recording 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a 96–81 win overNorthern Iowa.[49] In her second game, on December 2, she posted her firstdouble-double with 30 points and 13 assists in a 103–97 victory overDrake.[50] On December 22, in a 92–65 victory overWestern Illinois, she registered the firsttriple-double by an Iowa player sinceSamantha Logic did so in 2015. Despite shooting 3-of-15 from the field, Clark had 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists during the game.[51] On January 6, 2021, she recorded 37 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a 92–79 win againstMinnesota.[52] Clark posted a season-high 39 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in an 88–81 win overNebraska on February 11,[53] breaking the single-game scoring record forPinnacle Bank Arena, the home venue of Nebraska.[54] On February 28, she scored 18 points and had a season-high 14 assists in an 84–70 win overWisconsin.[55] At the end of the regular season, Clark was a unanimousBig Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten selection. She was a 13-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, setting a conference record, and led the Big Ten with five Player of the Week awards.[56]
Clark helped Iowa achieve a runner-up finish at theBig Ten tournament, where she was named to the all-tournament team and recorded 37 assists, the most in the event's history.[57] In the second round of theNCAA tournament, she posted 35 points, seven rebounds and six assists in an 86–72 win overKentucky. She broke program single-game records for points and three-pointers (6) in the tournament.[58] Iowa reached the Sweet 16, where Clark scored 21 points in a 92–72 loss to first-seededUConn.[59] She was named a first-teamAll-American by theUnited States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), a second-team All-American by theAssociated Press (AP) and made theWomen's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches' All-America team.[60] Clark became the first freshman to win theDawn Staley Award, which honors the best Division Iguard.[61] She shared two major Division I freshman of the year awards withPaige Bueckers ofUConn: theTamika Catchings Award, presented by the USBWA,[62] and theWBCA Freshman of the Year award.[63] As a freshman, Clark averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game. She led theNCAA Division I in scoring and ranked second in assists and three-pointers per game. Her totals in points, assists,field goals and three-pointers also led Division I. She set program freshman records for points and assists and had the fourth-highest scoring average in Iowa history.[61]
2021–22: Sophomore season
Clark during her 46-point game againstMichigan in 2022
On November 9, 2021, Clark made her sophomore season debut, recording 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 93–50 win overNew Hampshire.[64] On January 2, 2022, she posted 44 points and eight assists in a 93–56 win overEvansville. Clark broke theCarver–Hawkeye Arena women's single-game scoring record and surpassedKelsey Mitchell ofOhio State as the fastest Big Ten player to reach 1,000 career points.[65] On January 16, 2022, she recorded her fourth career triple-double, with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 93–83 victory overNebraska.[66] In her next game, four days later, Clark posted 35 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a 105–49 win over Minnesota. She became the first Division I men's or women's player to record consecutive triple-doubles with at least 30 points and the first women's player in Big Ten history with consecutive triple-doubles.[67] On January 25, Clark had 18 assists,[n 2] which set program and tied conference single-game records, in addition to 20 points and seven rebounds in a 107–79 win againstPenn State.[72][73] On January 31, she recorded 43 points, seven assists and four rebounds in a 92–88 loss to Ohio State.[75] On February 6, Clark scored a season-high 46 points, including 25 in the fourth quarter, and had 10 assists in a 98–90 loss toMichigan.[76] She set the women's single-game scoring record forCrisler Center, the home arena of Michigan.[77] After leading Iowa to a share of the Big Ten regular season title, she was unanimously namedBig Ten Player of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches and media.[78][79]
On March 5, 2022, in the semifinals of theBig Ten tournament, Clark recorded 41 points and nine rebounds in an 83–66 win over Nebraska.[80] She led Iowa to the title and was named the tournament's most outstanding player (MOP).[78] Her team was upset by 10th-seededCreighton in the second round of theNCAA tournament, where Clark was held to a season-low 15 points and 11 assists, shooting 4-of-19 from the field, in a 64–62 loss.[81] She was a unanimous first-team All-American: she earned first-team All-American honors from the AP and the USBWA, and was a WBCA Coaches' All-America Team selection.[82] For her sophomore year, she was named a first-teamDivision I Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America, since renamedCollege Sports Communicators (CSC).[83] Clark became the first back-to-back recipient of the Dawn Staley Award and won theNancy Lieberman Award as the top Division I point guard.[84] As a sophomore, she averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game. Clark was the first women's player to lead Division I in points and assists per game in a single season. She also led Division I in total points,free throws and triple-doubles.[71]
2022–23: Junior season
Entering her junior season, Clark was a unanimous selection for the AP preseason All-America team and was named Big Ten preseason player of the year by the league's coaches and media.[85][86] On November 18, 2022, she suffered an ankle injury with 3.8 seconds left in an 84–83 loss toKansas State, where she recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.[87] She played in Iowa's next game againstBelmont on November 20, scoring 33 points in a 73–62 victory.[88] On December 1, she scored a season-high 45 points in a 94–81 loss toNC State.[89] Three days later, Clark posted her seventh career triple-double, with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 102–71 win overWisconsin. She surpassed Samantha Logic as the Big Ten career leader in triple-doubles.[90] On December 21, in her 75th game, Clark tiedElena Delle Donne ofDelaware as the fastest Division I women's player to reach 2,000 career points since the 1999–2000 season, scoring 20 points in a 92–54 win overDartmouth.[91] On January 23, 2023, Clark recorded 28 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in an 83–72 win overAP No. 2 Ohio State, who were previously unbeaten.[92] On February 2, she had 42 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a 96–82 victory overMaryland.[93] On February 26, Clark recorded 34 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, making a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, in an 86–85 win against AP No. 2 Indiana.[94] At the end of the regular season, she repeated as Big Ten Player of the Year in a unanimous vote and was named first-team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches and media.[95][96]
Clark led Iowa to its second consecutiveBig Ten tournament championship, where she earned MOP honors. In the title game, she recorded 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds in a 105–72 win over Ohio State, the first triple-double in the final of the tournament. She moved to second in Division I women's history behindSabrina Ionescu ofOregon with her tenth career triple-double.[97] In the Elite Eight of theNCAA tournament, she recorded 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 97–83 win overLouisville. She became the first player in men's or women's tournament history to record a 30 or 40-point triple-double.[98] During the game, Clark became the first Division I player to record at least 900 points and 300 assists in a single season.[99] For her performance, Clark was named the Seattle 4 Regional Most Outstanding Player and to the regional all-tournament team[100] as Iowa reached its first Final Four since1993.[101] In the Final Four, she posted 41 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in a 77–73 upset win over undefeated defending championSouth Carolina, ending their 42-game winning streak.[102][103] She broke the single-game scoring record for the women's tournament semifinals and became the first player in tournament history with consecutive 40-point games.[104] Clark also surpassed the program and Big Ten single-season scoring records held byMegan Gustafson.[105] With the win, Iowa advanced to their first women's basketball championship game in program history.[103] Though Clark had 30 points and eight assists againstLSU in thenational championship, Iowa lost the game, 102–85. She made eight three-pointers, the most by a men's or women's player in the title game.[106][107] Near the end of the game, LSU starAngel Reese followed Clark, making a "you can't see me" gesture implying that Clark could not keep up with her, and also pointing to her ring finger in reference to LSU's imminentchampionship ring.[108] Reese received considerable criticism for the gestures, which many in the media viewed asunsportsmanlike. However, many also defended Reese's gestures andtrash talk, highlighting a double standard, as Clark had made the same gesture at a previous game and did not face similar criticism.[108][109] Clark herself defended Reese over criticism about the gesture.[108][110] In coverage of this incident, journalists and the public have commented on the roles of race and gender in perceptions of sportsmanship.[108][111] The incident has also been described as the origin of arivalry between Clark and Reese.[112] With 191 points in the tournament, Clark broke the men's and women's scoring records for a single NCAA tournament. Her 60 assists were the most by a player in women's tournament history.[106]
Clark won all major national player of the year awards:AP Player of the Year, theHonda Sports Award, theJohn R. Wooden Award,Naismith College Player of the Year,USBWA National Player of the Year and theWade Trophy. She was the first unanimous national player of the year in Big Ten history.[113] Clark won the Nancy Lieberman Award for a second time and became the first three-time winner of the Dawn Staley Award.[114][115] She was a unanimous first-team All-American for a second straight season, earning first-team recognition from the AP and USBWA and making the WBCA Coaches' All-America Team.[116][117][118] Clark was again honored by the CSC as the 2023 Division IWomen's Basketball Academic All-American of the Year, before winning the same award for all Division I sports in 2023.[119][120] As a junior, Clark averaged 27.8 points, 8.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game, leading Division I in assists and ranking second in scoring. She set Big Ten single-season records in points, assists, three-pointers and free throws, and tied her own conference record with five triple-doubles.[113] She had the fourth-most points and assists and the third-most three-pointers in a season in Division I history.[121] Following the season, Clark won theBest Female College Athlete ESPY Award and theHonda Cup, both honoring the top women's college athlete,[122][123] and theJames E. Sullivan Award, presented annually by the AAU to the top college or Olympic athlete in the United States.[124] She was selected as theBig Ten Female Athlete of the Year.[125]
Entering her senior season, Clark was named preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and earned unanimous AP preseason All-American honors.[126][127] On October 15, 2023, she played inCrossover at Kinnick, a preseasonexhibition game againstDePaul atKinnick Stadium, and had a triple-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 94–72 win.[128] The game had an attendance of 55,646, which set the women's basketball record.[129][130] In her second regular season game, on November 9, Clark posted 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists in an 80–76 win over AP No. 8Virginia Tech.[131] In Iowa's third game, a 94–53 blowout of Northern Iowa on November 12, Clark recorded her 12th career triple-double, with 24 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. She became Iowa's all-time leading scorer, passing Megan Gustafson, and became only the second player in Division I history with a triple-double in four different seasons, joining Ionescu.[132] One week later, she recorded 35 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and seven steals in a 113–90 win over Drake, passingKelsey Plum ofWashington for the most 30-point games in women's Division I history.[133]
Clark in 2023
On December 6, 2023, Clark became the 15th Division I player to reach 3,000 career points and was the second-fastest to reach the mark, posting 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 67–58 victory over Iowa State.[134] On December 16, she scored 38 points and made nine three-pointers in a 104–75 win overCleveland State.[135] Three days later, she sharedSporting NewsAthlete of the Year honors with Angel Reese.[136] Later that week, Clark was announced as the runner-up to gymnastSimone Biles for theAP Female Athlete of the Year award.[137] On December 21, in Iowa's final non-conference game, she recorded a triple-double of 35 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Hawkeyes' 98–69 win overLoyola Chicago.[138] In her next game, on December 30, Clark posted 35 points and 10 assists in a 94–71 victory against Minnesota, surpassingSamantha Prahalis of Ohio State to become the Big Ten's all-time leader in assists. During the game, she also eclipsed Samantha Logic's mark for the program record in the same category.[139] On January 2, 2024, Clark scored 40 points and made a long, game-winning three-pointer as time expired in a 76–73 win overMichigan State.[140] Three days later, she posted 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 103–69 win overRutgers.[141] On January 8, Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the 24th time in her career, breaking the conference record held by Gustafson.[142] In her following game, she registered her second consecutive triple-double, with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 96–71 victory againstPurdue.[143] On January 21, Clark recorded 45 points and seven assists in a 100–92 overtime loss to AP No. 18 Ohio State. After the game, as Ohio State fans wererushing the court, she was knocked down in a collision with a fan but did not suffer an injury, despite initially appearing to be in pain.[144]
On January 31, 2024, Clark posted 35 points and 10 assists in a 110–74 win overNorthwestern, breaking the Big Ten all-time scoring record held by Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State.[145] In February,Fox began devoting a camera, called the "Caitlin Cam", to record Clark during its broadcasts of Iowa games and to stream onTikTok.[146] She became the sixth Division I women's player with 1,000 career assists during the Hawkeyes' 82–79 loss atNebraska on February 11, where she tallied 31 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.[147] On February 15, Clark became theNCAA Division I women's career scoring leader, surpassing Kelsey Plum, during a 106–89 win over Michigan.[148] She finished the game with a career-high 49 points, 13 assists and five rebounds, eclipsing Gustafson for the program single-game scoring record.[149] Between her points and assists, Clark was responsible for 79 of her team's points, the most by any Division I women's player in at least 25 seasons.[150] On February 28, Clark passedLynette Woodard, who played forKansas in the era when theAssociation of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women governed women's college sports, to become the all-time leader in points among major women's college players.[151] During the game, she posted her second straight triple-double, with 33 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, leading the Hawkeyes to a 108–60 win over Minnesota. She also set the Big Ten career record for three-pointers, surpassing Kelsey Mitchell, and the NCAA single-season record in the same category, previously held by Taylor Pierce ofIdaho.[152][153] In her final regular season game, on March 3, Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer among men's or women's players, eclipsingPete Maravich, who had set the men's scoring record in three seasons withLSU.[154] She tallied 35 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a 93–83 win over AP No. 2 Ohio State.[155] She finished the regular season as the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches and media.[156]
During the Hawkeyes' quarterfinal win overPenn State at the2024 Big Ten tournament, Clark surpassedStephen Curry ofDavidson andDarius McGhee ofLiberty for the most three-pointers in a single season by any Division I player regardless of gender.[157] In a semifinal win over Michigan, she became the first Division I women's player to score at least 1,000 points in two different seasons and passed Mitchell as the career leading scorer in theBig Ten tournament.[158] Clark led Iowa to its third straight Big Ten tournament title and was named MOP after recording 34 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a 94–89 overtime win over Nebraska in the final.[159] In the second round of theNCAA tournament, Clark scored 32 points and surpassed Kelsey Plum for the most points in a single season in Division I women's history, leading Iowa to a 64–54 win overWest Virginia.[160] The Elite Eight saw a rematch of the2023 national championship game againstLSU, where Clark had 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a 94–87 victory, leading the Hawkeyes to their second straight Final Four and a school-record 33 wins and being named Albany 2 Regional MOP. Her nine three-pointers tied the most by a player in an NCAA tournament game. She surpassed Taylor Robertson's record of 537, set in five seasons atOklahoma, to become the all-time Division I leader in three-pointers. Clark also broke NCAA tournament career marks in assists and three-pointers, held byTemeka Johnson of LSU andDiana Taurasi of UConn, respectively.[161] In the Final Four, she posted 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 71–69 win overUConn, as Iowa reached thenational championship game for a second consecutive season.[162] Clark had 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in an 87–75 loss to South Carolina, the number one overall seed, in the title game. She scored 18 points in the first quarter, the most by a player in a single period in championship game history.[163] She also surpassedChamique Holdsclaw ofTennessee for the NCAA tournament career scoring record.[164]
Clark was named national player of the year for her second straight season, receiving AP Player of the Year, the Honda Sports Award, the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year and the Wade Trophy. For a third time, she won the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top Division I point guard and was named a unanimous first-team All-American. At the end of her senior year, Clark again was named the CSC's Division I Academic All-American of the Year in both women's basketball and all sports, completing her college career with a 3.64 GPA.[165][166] In her senior season, Clark averaged 31.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading Division I in scoring and assists.[167] She finished with the highest career scoring average (28.42) in Division I history, passingPatricia Hoskins ofMississippi Valley State.[168] Clark left Iowa with the most career points (3,951) and three-pointers (548), the second-most triple-doubles (17) and the third-most assists (1,144) in Division I history.[168][169] For a second straight season, Clark won the Honda Cup and the James E. Sullivan Award, becoming the first two-time winner in the Sullivan Award's 94-year history.[170][171] She also became the third athlete to repeat as Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.[172] In June 2024, Clark was nominated for threeESPY Awards.[173] At the2024 ESPY Awards held on July 11, 2024, Clark won theBest Female College Athlete ESPY Award for a second time, became the first female athlete to win theBest Record-Breaking Performance ESPY Award,[174][n 3] but lost out on theBest Female Athlete ESPY Award to two-timeWNBA MVP and two-timeWNBA champion,A'ja Wilson.[175]
Following the conclusion of Clark's senior season, it was announced that Iowa wouldretire her jersey number, making her the third player in program history to receive the honor.[180] On February 2, 2025, following theHawkeyes' win over No. 4USC, Clark'sNo. 22 jersey was retired by the University of Iowa.[181] In October 2025, theAssociated Press selected Clark as one of the greatest collegiate players in the women’s poll era alongsideCheryl Miller,Diana Taurasi,Candace Parker, andBreanna Stewart as the starting five players.[182]
On April 15, 2024, Clark was selected as thefirst overall pick of the2024 WNBA draft by theIndiana Fever.[183] On April 27, she signed her rookie scale contract with the team.[184] Clark played her first regular season game on May 14, scoring 20 points in a 92–71 loss to theConnecticut Sun. She also committed 10 turnovers, the most in a debut in WNBA history.[185] Ten days later, Clark posted her firstdouble-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to help the Fever claim their first regular season win over theLos Angeles Sparks, 78–73.[186] In a rematch with the Sparks on May 28, she recorded 30 points, six assists and five rebounds in an 88–82 loss.[187]
On June 7, 2024, Clark scored 30 points again and tiedCrystal Robinson's rookie single-game record with seven three-pointers. She also tallied eight rebounds, six assists and four steals, leading her team to an 85–83 win over theWashington Mystics.[188] On June 23, Clark set the Fever single-game record with 13 assists, while adding 17 points and six rebounds, in an 88–87 loss to theChicago Sky.[189] On July 2, she was selected to play in theWNBA All-Star Game.[190] Four days later, Clark became the first WNBA rookie and the first Fever player ever to record atriple-double, registering 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists in an 83–78 victory over theNew York Liberty.[191] On July 14, Clark surpassed the WNBA single-season record in turnovers in an 81–74 loss to theMinnesota Lynx.[192] Three days later, on July 17, she scored 24 points and set the WNBA single-game assists record (19), passingCourtney Vandersloot, in a 101–93 loss to theDallas Wings. She scored or assisted on 66 points, breakingDiana Taurasi's mark from 2006 for points produced in a game.[193] In the All-Star Game, she became the seventh WNBA rookie to be named an All-Star starter and set the rookie record for assists in the game, with 10.[194][195]
On August 18, 2024, Clark set a newWNBA rookie assist record, surpassing the 225 assist record previously held byTicha Penicheiro since 1998, in a 92–75 win over theSeattle Storm.[196] Ten days later, she broke the record for three-pointers made in a rookie season, surpassingRhyne Howard's total from 2022, as her team defeated the Connecticut Sun, 84–80.[197] On August 30, Clark tallied 31 points with 12 assists, leading her team to a 100–81 victory over the Chicago Sky.[198] On September 4, she registered her second triple-double, with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 93–86 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.[199] On September 13, Clark broke thesingle-season assist record as her team lost to theLas Vegas Aces, 78–74.[200] In her next game, two days later, she scored a career-high 35 points in a 110–109 win over the Dallas Wings, passingSeimone Augustus'rookie scoring record.[201][202] Clark finished the regular season averaging 19.2 points, a league-high 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. She made a league-high 122 three-pointers, the second-most in a single season behindSabrina Ionescu.[203] Clark led the Fever to their best record (20–20) and first playoff appearance since2016.[204] Her team was swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round. In Game 2, she scored 25 points with nine assists in a season-ending 87–81 loss.[205] Clark was namedWNBA Rookie of the Year, receiving 66 of 67 votes for the award.[206] She became the first rookie sinceCandace Parker in 2008, and the fifth rookie in league history, to make theAll-WNBA First Team.[207] In December 2024, Clark was namedAthlete of the Year byTime magazine andFemale Athlete of the Year by the AP.[208][209] In June 2025, Clark was nominated for twoESPY Awards, Best Record-Breaking Performance (for breaking the WNBA records single-game assists andsingle-season assists) andBest WNBA Player.[210][211] At the2025 ESPY Awards, Clark won the ESPY for Best WNBA Player for the 2024 season.[212]
Clark (center) gives a pep talk to players during a game against theGolden State Valkyries in San Francisco, Calif. in August 2025.
In the preseason, Clark was ruled out for the May 3 match-up against theWashington Mystics due to a lower left leg injury which she described to the press as "just a little tightness."[213][214][215] Clark returned to play and appeared in the Fever's remaining two preseason games on May 4 and May 10.
On May 17, 2025, Clark opened her second year in the WNBA with a dominant performance, recording her third careertriple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, in the Fever's 93–58 win over theChicago Sky.[216] Four games into the season, she had averaged 19.0 points, 6 rebounds, and a league-leading 9.3 assists per game.[217][218] On May 26, 2025, the Fever announced that Clark hadstrained her leftquadriceps and would be out for at least two weeks.[219][217] In a June 5 press conference, Clark said her injury occurred during the Fever's May 24 game against theNew York Liberty.[220] Clark returned to play on June 14 in the Fever'shome win over the New York Liberty, handing the reigning champions their first loss of the season.[221] In the game, she led her team with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists with seven 3-pointers made, including three consecutive threes in 38 seconds in the first quarter.[222][223] In the Fever's June 19 loss atGolden State, Clark recorded near triple-double despite going scoreless from the three-point line for just the second time in her professional career.[224][225] In the Fever's next two away games, she went 1-for-16 for three-point distance but averaged 9.5 assists.[226] On June 26, 2025, the Fever announced Clark would miss that day's home game against theLos Angeles Sparks due to a left groin injury, her sixth absence of the season.[227][228] Fever head coachStephanie White said Clark's ability to play would be assessed day by day.[228] On June 29, Clark again earned All-Star honors; she was also named team captain for the2025 WNBA All-Star Game after receiving 1,293,526 votes, breaking the record she set the previous season.[229][230][231] On July 8, White and Clark told reporters they expected she would play in their home game on July 9.[232][233] She did return to play for the next four games (leading the Fever to a 3–1 stretch) before she suffered a right groin injury in the final minutes of their July 15 game against the Sun.[234] Clark missed her tenth game of the season, a back-to-back at New York, prior to the All-Star weekend.[235] On July 17, Clark announced via the Fever's social media that she would not be participating in the 2025 three-point contest or playing All-Star game due to her injury and "need to rest [her] body."[236][237]
While traveling with the Fever for their July 22 away game versus New York, Clark met with specialists there for further evaluation into hersoft tissue injuries.[238] On July 24, the Fever announced that "no additional injuries or damage were discovered" from this evaluation, but her timeline for return to play had not been determined.[239] Clark announced on September 4 via her personal social media accounts that she would not return to play for the 2025 season.[240]
In March 2024, Clark was one of 14 players, and the only college player, to receive an invitation from theUnited States national team to the final training camp for the2024 Summer Olympics.[245] However, she was unable to attend the camp because she was playing in the2024 NCAA tournament that same week.[246] Clark was not named to thefinal roster, a decision that faced scrutiny due to her popularity.[247][248][249] The Olympic selection committee stated their criteria for selecting players included "adaptability to the international game" and experience playing with the senior national team which ultimately contributed to their decision to exclude Clark from the final roster.[250]
Player profile
Clark in 2024
Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m),[71] Clark playspoint guard, and writers have noted her great size for her position.[251][252] She is praised for her versatility, particularly on offense;The Washington Post columnist Jerry Brewer said that no player in the men's or women's game "checks every offensive box" as distinctly as she does.[251] Clark has the ability to score in thepaint, in mid-range and from three-point range.[253] Her shooting range has been lauded by analysts; she often makes shots from well behind the three-point line and with a high degree of difficulty.[254] Her shooting has often drawn comparisons toNational Basketball Association (NBA) playerStephen Curry.[255][256] Analysts have also praised Clark's passing ability, whichThe Athletic writer Sabreena Merchant described as being "equally audacious" as her shooting. She can pass ahead in transition and find her teammates through defensive traffic.[257] Her combination of scoring and passing skills helps her excel in thepick and roll.[258] Her highturnover rate, in part due to her aggressive style of play and ball-handling usage, has been criticized.[192][259] Writers have likened Clark's talent and personality toDiana Taurasi.[260][261] Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder compared her toSue Bird andSabrina Ionescu.[255] Clark has modeled parts of her game afterMaya Moore,LeBron James,Kevin Durant andPete Maravich.[11]
Widely considered a generational talent,[262] Clark is described as one of the greatest women's college basketball players of all time by many publications.[263][264][265][266] In part due to her unprecedented shooting range and proficiency among female players, she has been labeled a transformative player inwomen's basketball.[267] Her impact on the women's game is likened to that ofStephen Curry on the men's game.[268]USA Today stated that she, like Curry, has "redefined what a good shot is in basketball."[269]The Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay wrote in 2024: "Clark is far from the first great shooter in women's basketball, but she's the one who is changing the dimensionality of the game, because of the distance she can shoot from and how well she can pass."[270]
Clark is credited with popularizing women's basketball since her college career at Iowa, a phenomenon known as the "Caitlin Clark effect".[271] In her senior season, publications attributed a rise in attendance and television viewership for the sport to Clark.[272][273] As a junior, she helped the2023 national championship game become the most-viewed women's college basketball game in history (9.9 million).[274] Before her senior season, her team set the women's basketball attendance record (55,646) in apreseason exhibition game.[130] The Iowa women's basketball program sold out its 2023-24 ticket slate and generated $3.26 million in ticket sale revenue, the most in history by a women's college basketball team.[275] At the 2024 NCAA tournament, Clark's final three games each broke the women's college basketball viewership record, culminating with 18.9 million viewers for thenational championship game. It was the most-viewed basketball game at any level since 2019 and the first women's NCAA tournament final to draw more viewers than the men's final.[276][277] In her first WNBA season with theIndiana Fever, she continued to drive historic attendance and viewership.[278] The Fever set a franchise single-season attendance record, and their regular season finale set the league attendance record (20,711).[279][280]
As Clark drew a larger audience to the WNBA, some players accused members of her fan base of racist, sexist, and homophobic abuse, particularly onsocial media.[281] Clark has denounced the harassment of players, calling those members of her fan basetrolls and not genuine fans.[281][282]
Clark's father, Brent Clark, is a sales executive at Concentric International and played basketball and baseball atSimpson College.[11][255] Her mother, Anne Nizzi-Clark, who is of Italian descent, is a former marketing executive and the daughter of former Dowling Catholic High School football coach, Bob Nizzi.[7] Clark has an older brother, Blake, who playedcollege football forIowa State, and a younger brother, Colin.[7] Her cousin, Audrey Faber, played college basketball forCreighton.[286] Two of Clark's uncles are former college athletes: Tom Faber played basketball forDrake andUtica, and Mike Nizzi played football forNebraska–Omaha.[6] She has been in a relationship with Connor McCaffery, who played basketball and baseball at Iowa and is the son of former Hawkeyes men's basketball head coach,Fran McCaffery, since 2023.[10][287]
Clark with "Jake from State Farm" (Kevin Miles) in a promotion forState Farm in 2023
Clark is represented by Excel Sports Management, signing with theagency in 2023.[297] She was estimated to be one of the highest-earning college athletes fromname, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.[298] By the end of her Iowa career, college sports website On3 estimated her NIL valuation to be $3.4 million, the highest among women's college basketball players and the fourth-highest among college athletes.[299][300] Companies that signed Clark to NIL deals includedNike,Gatorade,Hy-Vee,Bose,Buick,Goldman Sachs,H&R Block, Shoot-A-Way, andTopps.[301][302] In 2023, she became the first college athlete to be a spokesperson for State Farm, appearing in national television commercials for the company.[303][304] In the following year, Hy-Vee released a limited edition cereal called "Caitlin's Crunch Time" in select stores in Iowa.[305] In April 2025, Hy-Vee released a limited-edition Cool Blue Gatorade bottle, featuring Clark, sold exclusively at Hy-Vee.[306][307]
In March 2024, Clark became the first female athlete to have an exclusive partnership withPanini, signing a multi-year contract with the trading card company.[308] In the same month, she signed a multiyear sponsorship with Gainbridge, an Indianapolis-based financial platform, joiningBillie Jean King andAnnika Sörenstam as brand ambassadors.[309][310] Upon graduating, Clark continued sponsorship deals with Gatorade and Hy-Vee.[311] In May 2024, she signed a multi-year deal withWilson Sporting Goods and became the first athlete to release signature Wilson basketball collections sinceMichael Jordan.[312][313] In August 2025, Clark became the first female athlete to form a multi-year partnership withStanley.[314]
After she wasdrafted in April 2024,The Wall Street Journal andThe Athletic reported a pending eight-year, $28 million contract between Clark and Nike, which would include a signature shoe deal and would be the largest sponsorship deal ever for a women's basketball player.[315] During the2024 WNBA Playoffs, Clark debuted the Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Indiana Fever” shoes, designed to match her Fever jerseys.[316] Six months later, Nike announced that this Player Exclusive (PE), called "Caitlin Clark Kobe 5 'Indiana Fever'", would be available for purchase in June 2025 in a limited drop.[317][318] Her "Indiana Fever" PEs sold out immediately upon release on June 30.[319][320] In June 2025, Clark debuted another PE with Nike, a Kobe 6 Protro called "The Bellas", in honor of Clark's family dog.[321] The following month, Clark broke out another a Kobe 6 Protro PE, "Cookie Monster", a nod to theMuppet character of thesame name.[322] On August 25, 2025, Nike introduced Clark as their newest signature athlete and revealed her signature logo.[323] Her logo apparel collection is to drop in fall 2025 and her signature shoe and apparel collection in 2026.[324]
Clark made acameo appearance onSaturday Night Live in April 2024. As part of a skit during theWeekend Update segment, she criticized co-anchorMichael Che's past jokes about women's basketball and wrote new jokes for him to read aloud.[327] Clark served as an executive producer on theESPN+ docuseriesFull Court Press, which premiered in May 2024. The series followed three women's college basketball players, including Clark herself, during the2023–24 season.[328]
On February 9, 2025, Clark appeared in a 90-second Nike commercial in the2025 Super Bowl featuring some of the world's top female athletes. It was Nike's first Super Bowl ad since 1998.[329]
Philanthropy
Clark speaking at an event for the Caitlin Clark Foundation in 2024
In March 2022, Clark partnered with the Coralville Community Food Pantry inCoralville, Iowa, for a month-long donation push and meet-and-greet to "Team Up Against Hunger", encouraging $22 donations from the public as a nod to Clark's jersey number.[330] In the first year of this partnership, they raised over $23,000 for the food pantry.[331] A year later, Clark and the Coralville Community Food Pantry teamed up again, this time raising over $75,000 for the nonprofit in thirty days.[331][332] As of 2024,[update] Clark has helped raise over $100,000 for Coralville Community Food Pantry, and the nonprofit continues to frequently receive $22 donations.[333]
In January 2025 on Clark's 23rd birthday, the Caitlin Clark Foundation teamed up withScholastic and their national literacy program, United States of Readers.[341] Additionally, the foundation announced its plan to donate 22,000 books to under-resourced elementary and middle schools in both Iowa and Indiana through the United States of Readers program.[342] In March 2025, the Caitlin Clark Foundation began a partnership withMusco and introduced the foundation's new "Community Courts Initiative".[343] The foundation announced plans for new Musco Mini-Pitch Systems, multipurpose recreation courts made for sports like soccer, futsal, and basketball, to be installed in four middle schools within theDes Moines Public Schools (DMPS) district.[344] In March 2025, the Caitlin Clark Foundation teamed up with Hy-Vee to raise funds to support childhood nutrition for local food banks across the Midwest via a month-long donation drive.[345][346] In May 2025, the foundation presented a $300,802 donation toFeeding America at the Food Bank of Iowa from their round-up campaign.[347] The donation is estimated to provide about 3 million meals to food insecure communities in the Midwest via eighteen Feeding America partner food banks.[348]
In 2024, an autographedtrading card featuring Clark sold for $78,000, the most ever for a women's basketball card.[352] The record was broken later that year after her card sold for $84,000, the second-most expensive card of a female athlete behind tennis playerSerena Williams.[353] In February 2024, Clark became the top-selling college athlete on the online sports merchandise retailerFanatics, surpassingColorado Buffaloes quarterback,Shedeur Sanders.[354]
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